The present invention relates to a midgate assembly including a garage door style midgate panel which is movable between a closed position in a midgate opening and an open position beneath a vehicle seat.
It is known in the art to provide a pickup truck or SUV having a cab portion for carrying passengers in a rear seat section behind the driver and a cargo box behind the cab portion for carrying cargo. It is also known to provide aligned openings in the cab portion and the cargo box for carrying longer loads which extend into the passenger compartment with the rear seat folded down. Currently, a multi-use vehicle is available which provides a pickup truck having a rear passenger compartment convertible to a cargo area and separated from a rear pickup box by a midgate having a panel and a window. This vehicle is adapted to accommodate a variety of optional configurations for alternatively carrying a maximum passenger load or an extended cargo load under both covered and uncovered conditions where the cargo load is protected from or exposed to ambient external conditions.
It is desirable to provide a midgate panel which may be conveniently stored in unused space in the vehicle when the midgate panel is not occupying the midgate opening.
The invention provides a midgate assembly including a garage door style midgate panel which is slidable along the guide tracks to a position underneath a seat.
More specifically, the invention provides a vehicle body having a first compartment for carrying passengers or cargo and a second compartment for carrying cargo rearwardly adjacent the first compartment. The body includes a frame defining an opening between the first and second compartments. The opening includes lower and upper portions. First and second guide tracks each include a first portion secured to the frame along opposing sides of the lower portion of the opening, a curved portion adjacent bottom corners of the lower portion of the opening, and a second portion extending forwardly in the vehicle body from the respective curved portion. A midgate panel has opposing sides slidably engaged with the first and second guide tracks to facilitate movement of the panel from a closed position covering the lower portion of the opening when the panel engages the first portion of the guide tracks, to an open position permitting access through the lower portion of the opening when the panel engages the second portion of the guide tracks.
Preferably, the midgate panel is a garage door style midgate panel including a plurality of sections hinged together along a plurality of horizontal splits in the midgate panel. The panel also includes a plurality of rollers for rolling engagement with the first and second tracks.
A window is mounted in the frame to close the upper portion of the opening. The window may be removably mounted in the frame to selectively permit access through the upper portion of the opening. Alternatively, the window may be hinged to the frame for pivotable movement to an open position. The window may be hinged along an upper edge to facilitate pivotal movement upward against a roof of the body. The glass could pivot forward or rearward. A crossbar may be mounted in the opening between the upper and lower portions. The window could be glued in place with a fixed crossbar.
A seat may be positioned in the first compartment, and the second portion of each guide track may extend beneath the seat such that the midgate panel is positioned under the seat when in the open position.
A drive motor may be operatively connected to the midgate panel to actuate movement of the midgate panel between the open and closed positions.
The seat may include a collapsible seatback which may be used to selectively increase cargo storage capacity in the first compartment.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more further understood from the following description of the specific embodiments of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings.